Wi-Fi Extender for Smart Home Devices: The Real Tradeoff
August 13, 2026
An extender is a repeater, and repeaters have a throughput tradeoff. Here's when that tradeoff actually matters for smart home devices, and when it doesn't.
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2.4GHz Interference Sources at Home (And How to Find Yours)
August 12, 2026
Devices drop at the same time every evening? Here are the real active interference sources on 2.4GHz, including one almost nobody mentions.
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Your Thread Network May Have Split Into Two
August 9, 2026
Half your Thread devices talking to one hub and half to another is one of two different problems. Here is the test that tells them apart.
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IPv6 Disabled Is Why Your Thread Border Router Fails
August 8, 2026
A Thread border router bridges to your home network using IPv6. If your router has it off, that's why setup fails even with the right hardware.
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DHCP Reservations for Smart Home Devices, Explained
August 7, 2026
A device that "just worked" and now can't be found usually moved to a new IP. A DHCP reservation is the fix that keeps it from moving again.
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Z-Wave Network Heal: What It Actually Does
August 6, 2026
A network heal rebuilds the routing table so new nodes become visible. Here is what it costs while running, and when it is actually worth it.
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Zigbee and Wi-Fi Channel Interference Explained
August 5, 2026
Wi-Fi channels 1, 6 and 11 sit on the same frequencies as Zigbee channels 11 to 22. Here is where the overlap falls and how to pick both together.
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Changing Your Zigbee Channel: What Gets Re-paired
August 4, 2026
Changing a Zigbee channel usually does not mean re-pairing every device. Here is what follows on its own, what lags, and what genuinely will not.
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Zigbee Router vs End Device: Which Ones Repeat?
August 3, 2026
Mains powered Zigbee devices generally repeat the signal and battery ones do not. Here is the exception that looks mains powered and is not.
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Zigbee Mesh Not Healing After Moving the Hub
August 2, 2026
A mesh does not always reroute on its own after you move the hub. Here is the restart order that rebuilds routes, and when waiting will not help.
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